Stay
by Magenta's Nightmare
Summary: Warning! No smut! I know right? Impossible from me. lol This is a story about Daryl being seriously injured and Carol dealing with it.


_**This is a prime example of the bad Ju Ju that pours out of me the night before aunt flow arrives. Holy hormones! Strap in for some overly emotional, angsty non smut. Figured I had to post at least one non smut piece. I've never had to rate anything that didn't involve a bad word. Hmmmm? lol**_

Carol couldn't move from her spot next to the bed where he lay. He hadn't moved in days now and she had only left to use the bathroom and when the nurse came to check on him. They had set up a bed in the main area so he would always have someone watching out in case he woke up. She slept in the chair next to the bed and refused to leave. If he woke up she had to be there. She was starting to think maybe he wouldn't and she ached inside.

Aaron had brought him back in the car after he sustained a head injury on their scouting mission. It had been a fluke heavy box falling from a shelf in a warehouse. He had apologized profusely for not being able to stop it from happening and everyone told him it was ridiculous to feel bad about an accident. Aaron had come upon the situation only minutes afterward and dragged him to the car and back to Alexandria but he hadn't woken up since. With Pete dead it was only hope keeping Daryl alive and basic medical knowledge.

She had so many things she should have told him and she may never get the chance now. Maybe it wouldn't matter either way. She could never quite tell exactly what he thought of her, he had always been a mystery in that department. Right now she just wanted him alive but if he lived she wouldn't waste another moment telling him how she felt and how much she thought of him.

Rick came around every few hours pestering her to take a break and she said as long as he is breathing she wouldn't leave. Rick would nod and leave her to it. She reached out and touched his hand and tears welled up in her eyes. He was always so strong and alive and he looked dead now, it was killing her but she couldn't go.

There was no movement so far, nothing at all. She'd do anything to hear his voice again.

Evening began to fall and she sat drinking soup from a cup that Tara had brought, they all figured out she would not leave and slowly stopped asking. She thought she saw his eye move beneath his eyelid out of her peripheral vision but decided it was wishful thinking. She wrapped a cardigan around her shoulders and finished the soup because if she didn't they may force her to leave and take better care of herself but she wasn't hungry.

She put down the cup and grabbed his hand again rubbing it with the other. "I miss you," she uttered.

Just then he jerked in bed. She shrieked. "HELP! He moved! Somebody!"

She jumped to her feet and touched his shoulders.

"Daryl? Move for me please...do it again," she whispered.

Rick and Rosita ran in and she started checking for some general vital signs. Maggie came in right after and began checking his pupils to see if they would dilate now and she smiled up at Carol when she found they were. "It may be a sign that whatever swelling he has is starting to go down, but I'm no doctor...I'm sorry."

"It has to be better though, right? A few days ago the left wasn't dilating at all," Carol reminded her.

She took his hand again. "Please move," and then he squeezed her hand.

She dropped to her knees never letting go of his hand and sobbed. "He squeezed my hand!"

Maggie changed the IV bag keeping his fluids up and after a while they left Carol alone with him again waiting patiently for more signs of life.

Later, she went to the bathroom and filled a basin with warm water and grabbed a cloth. She washed his face every day but he could probably use a proper wash, if anything it might rouse him a bit.

"Maggie, can I get a quick hand? I want to get him cleaned up."

"Of course, good idea."

Maggie smiled and they got to work. Carol soaked the cloth and squeezed out the water starting with his face very gently wiping it over his eyes and then the rest of his face. She looked down at him about to break again pushing all the hair out of his face.

"You love him, don't you?" Maggie asked, almost about to cry herself just watching the desperation in Carol's eyes. She could clearly see that Carol felt the same for Daryl as she did for Glenn.

She looked up at her, "Yes."

"I can see that. Did you ever tell him?" Maggie didn't want to upset her but the question just came out.

"I wish I had, I may never get to now. I love him more than anything," she shrugged her shoulders and sat down laying a kiss on his forehead. She turned to wet the cloth again letting the water fall slowly back into the basin.

Just then Maggie yelped, "Carol!"

When she looked back Daryl's eyes were open.

He groaned and raised his hand to his head where he had 7 stitches that Maggie had done right below his hairline. Carol couldn't believe her eyes as he shifted in bed looking at the two of them like he'd woken up on another planet.

"Carol?" he asked, in a voice that was weak and then he began coughing hard.

"I'll grab some water, try to sit him up a little," Maggie said, running out of the room.

Carol reached down and tried to slide her arms around him to help him sit up but he was coughing and sputtering and rolled over on his side. She figured that was probably as good as sitting up, at least he wouldn't choke. She ran to the other side of the bed and looked at his eyes. Maggie came back with the water and had found a straw. "Here...drink when you can."

He finally stopped coughing and drank a few sips of water and moaned. "Are you in pain? We have something for that," Carol offered.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You were injured on a run with Aaron and you've been out for days," Carol said, slowly.

"I need something, please, my head is killing me."

"Of course," she said, taking the pills Maggie handed her. She took one and held it out to him and then offered him the water.

He looked around still dazed and rubbed his eyes. He hissed as his fingers grazed the stitches. "The pills will work fast. I promise," Carol spoke softly.

He moved to sit up realizing he only had pants on and, feeling awkward, he pulled the sheet up to his chin. "Just one second I have something, OK?" Carol left the room to grab him a shirt.

"I'm so happy to see you awake, Daryl, we've all been so worried, Carol hasn't left your side since it happened."

"Really?" he asked, looking at her with a confused expression.

She smiled and nodded her head.

"Daryl, she refused to leave. I'm telling you that woman-"

Carol came back in with one of his button up shirts and held it out so he could slide his arms into it. "Then you don't have to pull it over your head," she said quietly.

He looked at her feeling overwhelmed and could hardly speak but managed a thanks. She smiled and reached for the buttons doing up a few. "Wait," she laughed, "sorry, I guess you can do buttons, good grief." He smiled at her and then looked over at Maggie.

He moved closer to the edge of the bed to stand up. "My legs feel like jello," he said, looking down at the floor.

Maggie and Carol moved to either side of him offering their assistance which he took easily. They walked him out to the living room and he spent an hour with everyone greeting him and smothering him which he quickly found overwhelming. He was forced to drink some soup and water but could barely stomach it.

"Carol?" he called out in the middle of everyone talking, he couldn't see her anywhere and panicked a little.

"Yes?" she walked over to him, his voice was sounding weak.

"I can't take all this talkin' I don't feel good. Can ya help me to my room, please? I'm all light headed."

"Of course, that's probably the pain medicine."

She reached down and grabbed his hand and wrapped her other arm around him.

"Here Carol, I'll help. If he goes down he'll take you with him."

Rick got up and helped her get him up to his room and into bed.

"I'm going to get the nurse to come check on him, make sure he's ok." Maggie announced, leaving the house. She didn't want them to be taking any chances.

"I'll leave you two," Rick said, walking out as soon as he was settled.

"I should go too, you need your rest...I'm so happy to see you awake, Daryl. Anything you need before I go?"

"Yeah...stay," he said, patting the bed beside him.

She sat and looked back at him "I was so worried I'd never talk to you again."

She teared up and immediately wiped her eyes. "Sorry." She was exhausted from having not slept in a proper bed for some many nights, her emotions were getting the better of her now.

She looked back and him and he held up his arms to her. She leaned down and hugged him but he didn't let go when she moved to break the embrace. "Can you lay here with me? I don't want to be alone."

"OK."

She lay down next to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She sighed feeling so happy but knowing she still didn't have the guts to tell him how she felt. It was enough he was alive and this wasn't the time to bring it up, maybe in a few days when he was stronger...or weeks. Being in his arms right now was the best feeling the the world.

"Did you wash my face?" he asked out of nowhere.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Do you mind?" she asked.

"No...but Maggie said you didn't leave the whole time and then you were cleanin' me up and taking care of me...I just don't know why?"

He pulled her tighter to him and took a deep breath.

"I care about you, Daryl. You're...one of my best friends so..." She didn't know where this was headed.

"They're all my friends but you...you never left me even once."

"I don't know, I just couldn't leave. If you woke up I didn't want you to be alone," she said, wiping a tear from her face wishing he'd stop questioning her as she wouldn't be able to talk soon.

He moved closer to her and she shifted uncomfortably not knowing where to go. She moved to sit up thinking maybe he wanted more space.

"No," he said pulling her on her side to face him. It wasn't pushy, just a soft no.

"I missed you," she said softly.

"I know," he replied, "I heard you."

She froze. "Daryl...I just..."

"I felt like I was in a dark room...all alone. It was like a dream but I couldn't wake up...then I heard your voice," he began, looking right into her eyes.

"I heard everything you said and then my face was wet and next thing I knew I saw you there."

"I can explain," she uttered.

"You don't have to explain, guess I just took it wrong," he said, pulling his arm back away from her. He had a look on his face like he'd never been more embarrassed.

She couldn't leave him for a even second thinking she didn't mean it. She took a slow deep breath and prepared herself to lose it all.

"You didn't take it wrong, Daryl. I meant every word I said but you don't have to deal with this now...or ever if you don't want to."

"No, I have to before I forget. Everything is getting fuzzy already. As soon as I heard that it's like I started fighting being stuck in that dream. I just wanted to see you."

She lowered her head against his chest and he held her tight. "Guess I could only say it when I thought you couldn't hear me."

"Why?"

She thought for a long time rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. She wanted the right words to say but nothing good came to mind.

"You're the one thing I couldn't risk losing, your friendship is very important to me."

"I don't understand," he said softly.

"It's just hard to be friends with someone after you offer them your heart and they say they don't feel the same, I would try though. Being your friend is more important than my pride."

"Carol, I wouldn't have done that," he said softly.

"Really?"

"Really...I love you too."


End file.
